JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars have picked up the fifth-year option on quarterback Blake Bortles, the team announced Monday.
The move is a bit of a surprise considering the step back Bortles took in 2016 after his breakout season in 2015. Bortles' salary for 2018 will now be approximately $20 million (the average of the top 10 highest-paid quarterbacks), and it is guaranteed for injury only until the first day of the 2018 league year in March, when it becomes fully guaranteed.
That offers the Jaguars some protection if Bortles does rebound in 2017. If he doesn't, they can still cut him before the 2018 league year begins without owing him anything unless he suffers a serious injury. "This is a smart business decision for the team for several reasons," Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars' executive vice president of football operations, said in a statement. "It makes sense for us going forward and it's good for Blake and for the Jaguars."
Bortles set single-season franchise records for passing yards (4,428) and passing touchdowns (35) in 2015. At the time, it appeared the Jaguars had finally found a franchise quarterback for the first time since Mark Brunell led the team to a pair of AFC title games in the first five years of the franchise's existence.
However, Bortles regressed in 2016. He completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 3,905 yards and 23 touchdowns with 16 interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns to give him 11 in his career. Bortles also suffered a Grade 1 sprained right AC joint midway through the season, aggravated it five weeks later, and also dealt with tendinitis in his right wrist.
Bortles' mechanics were a mess, too. His footwork got sloppy and his delivery was out of whack. He brought the ball below his waist and way behind his body during his windup, which increased the amount of time between his decision to throw and his release. He brought in personal throwing coach Adam Dedeaux, who works with Tom House at 3DQB in California, midway through the season.
Dedeaux had helped Bortles refine his mechanics after his rookie season, and the quarterback attributed that to being part of the reason for his success in 2015. Bortles told ESPN after the season that he only spent six days at 3DQB last offseason because then-offensive coordinator Greg Olson believed it would be better for him to stay in Jacksonville and throw with his receivers at a local high school.
He spent 10 weeks in California this offseason refining his footwork, which he told ESPN in January was the key to his mechanical issues. He worked on widening his base and shortening his stride, which he said would then result in a quicker release. He also worked on holding the ball higher and not dropping the ball on his delivery.
"I've really enjoyed the time I've spent out there [in California]," Bortles said before his annual charity golf tournament in March. "I think it's really been beneficial. I feel really good as far as where I'm at mechanically and how the ball's coming out and how it's spinning."